Betrayal for Revenge
by Amalasuintha
Summary: Hal, Kilowag, and Aya are forced to to go to the planet Varardras to find and capture not only the escaped Atrocitus, but his accomplice Razer! The boys may not understand why Razer would do this, but Aya fears she already knows. Whatever the reason, Razer doesn't plan on one of them leaving alive. Whether it'll be him or Atrocitus even he doesn't know.
1. Chapter 1

Atrocitus escaped.

Those two words sent all of Oa into panic.

Razer helped him.

Those three words sent Aya, Hal, and even Kilowag into a whirl of distress and betrayal. _Why would Razer do this?_ they wondered.

The Guardians barely conveyed the name of the planet Razer and Atrocitus went to before they all agreed to the mission. As it turned out, the Guardians worked on a teleporter to transport others without the need of a ship. The transporter was bugged however and broke down during the transport. The trio was told that it'd take the fugitives a while to recover from the bumpy ride.

"Fine, we'll head to Varardras and bring them back," Hal said, interrupting Guardian Appa's explanation.

"No you will not," said Sayd. "Varardras is a planet once used for housing prisoners. When the jailers found out about the poisonous atmosphere it became the place for a death sentence."

"Guardian Sayd, with all due respect I have information about Varardras in my database. While you are correct we would have several Earth hours before Green Lanterns Hal and Kilowag would suffer from the poisons. As neither of them is weak or ill it is fact we will have more than three hours to search for, and capture, Razer and Atrocitus."

"What Aya said." Kilowag nodded. "We can find Red and Atrocitus before any of us bite the big one."

"And what if it's a trap?" Appa shook his head. "It's most likely that the fugitives have left Varardras already."

"So what are we supposed to do? Just sit around and do nothing? Razer wouldn't just let Atrocitus go; there has to be a reason for this. Atrocitus will kill Razer the first chance he gets!" Hal clenched his fists and turned his back to the Guardians. "It doesn't matter what you say, I'm going to find Razer and Atrocitus and bring them back." He walked to the exit, not waiting for a response.

Kilowag sighed. "That Jordan…" he muttered, his shoulders slumped. He straightened them and looked evenly at the Guardians. "I'm goin' with him."

"As am I. I apologize if this doesn't suit you Guardians, but Razer is our friend and it seems I've developed what you would call… stubbornness."

She walked after Hal, who waited for them at the door. "I knew I could count on you two." He smiled and patted Aya's head. "We'll find him."

"Wait."

They turned to face the Guardians, their eyes falling on Appa.

"Stay in contact with Oa. Don't split up and as soon as any of you feel muscle weakness leave. If you stay any longer permanent damage will set in, if the asphyxiation doesn't kill you first." He paused. "Good luck Green Lanterns. We won't stop you."

Hal nodded. "Thanks Appa. We'll be back soon." He motioned for Aya and Kilowag to follow him as he took flight and rushed out of the building, towards the Interceptor. They'd need the Ultra-Warp for this.

* * *

Razer fell to his knees hacking and wheezing. When the transporter broke down during the transport he and Atrocitus suffered from many scrapes, bruises, and bumps. The worst part was how drained Razer felt, as opposed to Atrocitus who suffered less severe side effects.

Actually, the worst part was that they were separated. Razer hadn't stopped hacking since they arrived several minutes ago. At first they weren't too far away from each other but Atrocitus snuck off. Razer knew he hadn't abandoned the planet though; Atrocitus' ring needed charged and Razer had his battery. The only reason Atrocitus hadn't stolen it right then and there was that Razer's ring was fully charged and a head-on assault would've been suicide. And right then Razer had been on his feet.

Several more minutes passed before Razer climbed to his feet. The hacking subsided though the wheeze remained for another two minutes. When that was gone Razer tightened his grip on the battery and took flight. He had to find Atrocitus before anyone came looking for them. He doubted most people would, but there were three people he knew were reckless enough to try.

Hal. Kilowag. _Aya._

They were foolish enough to come after him. Razer knew they would, but hoped that he'd be finished with Atrocitus before then. The poisonous atmosphere would weaken them both, but with a fully charged ring Razer told himself that he'd survive long enough. _What about living for a cause?_ Hal's voice spoke to him, but only him; it was in his head.

"I tried."

That wasn't suitable, but it was all Razer had.

* * *

**A/N: This is a bit short, but the next part will be longer. Varardras is a planet I came up with, so it's clearly not cannonical. :p I actually didn't plan to write this for a bit longer, but I really wanted to get started on it. Hope you all enjoy! Reviews are super appreciated. (:**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I said this chapter would be longer! ^^ I know I should be working on The Caged Goddess, but... I really wanted to get this done, and I did this over a few days since almost every day this weekday I have something to do.**

* * *

After the Guardians had the Interceptor packed with medicines Hal and Kilowag would need, and only after they had the amount double checked, Aya started preparing the ship to enter Ultra Warp. They had enough medicines to treat both them and Razer and Atrocitus for extreme poisoning; Hal wanted to argue that it was too much, but Kilowag shut him up before he began.

"How much longer until we can go?"

"Approximately 2.6 minutes, Hal Jordan."

Hal punched the wall nearest him. "Not soon enough!"

"Calm down Jordan. As soon as the Ultra Warp is ready we'll be there in a matter of seconds." Kilowag motioned for Hal to take his seat. "I know you're mad about Razer but you can't be losing your head where we're goin'."

"I just don't get it!" he snapped as he took his seat. "It's been months since Atrocitus was jailed and Razer was welcomed at Oa. Everything was fine and now he's doing _this._ Is he trying to get killed?"

"Hal Jordan, may I ask what you know of Razer's stay at Oa?" Aya turned from the controls and stared the two Lanterns down. "Razer is of few words but he was far from welcomed to Oa. I have reason to believe he hated it here."

"What?" Hal asked, shocked. Kilowag scowled.

"And he's told you all of this, Aya? Last time I saw Red he said everythin' was fine. Heck, even I thought he adjusted pretty well."

"But the other Lanterns didn't like him. Hal Jordan and Kilowag, when I have spent time out with Razer it seems the other Lanterns only give him harsh looks. That is something I expected, considering Razer has killed Green Lanterns and admitted to destroying a planet."

"Razer, succumb to bullies?" Hal rubbed his temples. "Kilowag saved the people and Razer tried to forfeit his life with grief, and saved ours plenty of times. He's not a criminal; if anything, he's a hero who helped save us all even if he doesn't like admitting it."

"I guess they don't see the Poozer like we did." Kilowag's little ears dropped and he felt a pang of guilt for being ignorant of the animosity between Razer and the other Green Lanterns. Then his look hardened as he said: "But that doesn't give him the right to help Atrocitus of all people escape! What in Oa is up with that?"

"That I cannot say." Aya returned her attention to the controls. 10.09 seconds later she said: "Preparations complete. We may enter Ultra Warp."

"Good. Get us there Aya."

"As you say."

As Aya activated the Ultra Warp she couldn't help but think that she really did know why Razer helped Atrocitus escape _and_ that she knew why Razer picked Varardras. By not telling Hal and Kilowag she could be hindering them somehow in their mission; Razer was their friend too and they needed to know. Otherwise, if Razer didn't give them an answer they'd never trust him again. She quickly wiped around her eyes, wary of the liquid her eyes could secrete, called tears, if she grew too upset. "I—"

"We're here," Hal said, standing up. "Varardras."

"I already don't like this place."

Up ahead Varardras loomed. It appeared purple with moving, wispy black spots all over it. Nothing stood out or caught their eyes, even as they moved closer. Despite the distance they were at all three knew the planet truly was barren. The feeling in the boys' stomachs and Aya's processors told them to turn around, but they wouldn't. Their friend was there, not to mention Atrocitus. They had to go.

They had to.

"Aya," Hal gulped, "what are those… clouds?"

"Every two Earth years it rains on Varardras."

"Why doesn't that give me good feelings?"

"Because, Green Lantern Kilowag, the rain on Varardras is highly acidic and will most likely melt your flesh as well as Hal Jordan's. Even I may be in trouble if I get caught in it."

"Then we just won't get caught in it." Hal nodded to Aya. "Take the ship as low as you can go without going below the clouds. We'll fly down so the Interceptor doesn't become Swiss cheese." Aya nodded but her hands hovered near the controls. When she didn't take the ship down Hal and Kilowag exchanged worried looks before turning their attention to Aya. "Aya… are you okay?"

"Come on Aya, you're a GL." Kilowag whacked her back with one of his oversized hands. "This will be no problem for you."

"My apologies." Aya shook her head. She found she'd been doing that a lot lately; mimicking the behaviors of others, that is. "However, before we land I have one question. If Razer gives us no reason for this, what will become of him?"

They were taken aback by the question. Neither of them had thought of that.

"There's no telling what the Guardians will do," Kilowag admitted. "Whatever the reason, helping Atrocitus escape… The kid's probably gonna get slapped with treason."

Aya didn't say anything. She did as Hal told her and flew the Interceptor as close to the ground as possible without getting below the cloud line. Hal and Kilowag kept quiet too; they hadn't realized the weight of bringing Razer back until Aya brought it up. If they brought him back, his life could be over. But if they didn't his life could be over anyways.

_Razer, please be okay,_ Aya thought as she disembarked the Interceptor.

* * *

Atrocitus leveled his breathing. He couldn't afford to take deep breaths of this poisonous atmosphere. The transport to here from Oa had weakened him too; he had much less energy than he would've preferred to have on a barely charged power ring. Although he escaped Oa he had not yet escaped Razer. "It's such a chore when a father has to do away with a son," he muttered, "but I will survive."

Not much had changed about Atrocitus. He was a little thinner and found that he needed more exercise, but others would say he was the same. Atrocitus knew he was different, however; his hatred for the Guardians multiplied many times over during his imprisonment. His hate had grown stronger and his ring, although barely charged, reflected that.

He sat on a small rock so he could gather more strength. He'd walked a while without running into Razer. A miracle in and of itself; Varardras gave few places to hide and Atrocitus wouldn't risk entering a cave.

Hardly a moment passed before Atrocitus heard a sizzling sound accompanied by the faint pitter patter of rainfall. Frowning, Atrocitus looked around for the source—he found it. Fast approaching was a large cloud of acid rain. "I wonder if Razer has run into one of those yet," he mused but didn't stop to stare. Atrocitus jumped to his feet and ran. He didn't want to drain his ring quicker by flying; right then, although he wouldn't admit it, Atrocitus was the prey and Razer the predator.

The clouds kept on approaching; Atrocitus kept on running. When the storm clouds flanked him, he had no other choice; Atrocitus was forced to take shelter in a cave with an incline. Lucky for him, the cave was not deep and whatever lived there, if anything, wasn't home.

* * *

Razer took slow, shallow breaths as he flew. His throat burned from coughing earlier and he wished there was water on this planet, but quickly disregarded the notion. Besides, even there was water on Varardras it'd definitely just kill him faster.

As he searched for Atrocitus, Razer wondered what Atrocitus would do to retaliate. Razer didn't believe it'd take Atrocitus long to think of something. That was part of why Razer worshiped Atrocitus so when Razer took on the task of Lieutenant: Atrocitus was cunning. He knew how to organize the game to his advantage and how to play his cards when he played them.

On the other hand, Razer had plenty of fuel for his power ring. His hatred for the Green Lanterns who looked down upon him, for Atrocitus, for what happened to his people and Ilana—all of that, combined with his fully charged ring, would help him.

_But it's wrong._

_I shouldn't rely on hate anymore. I forsook the Red Lanterns and renounced Atrocitus as my leader. I… I care about Aya. I shouldn't want this._

"But I do."

"You do what, Razer?"

Razer's blood ran cold. He stopped and turned. Just ten feet away from him were Hal, Kilowag, and Aya. "You shouldn't be here," he said slowly. "What I'm doing is none of your concern." He coughed again, but quickly smothered it.

"That's what you think, Red." Kilowag moved closer. "You really think we were gonna let you and Atrocitus go off somewhere and not do a thing about it?"

"No, I knew full well you three would be foolish enough to come." He raised his ring and pointed it at them. Razer's cool demeanor betrayed the tightening in his chest, which was both physical and emotional. "Leave now or I'll be forced to consider you enemies. All of you."

"Are you really going to do this Razer? What's going on with you? Why are you doing this?"

"You—" He stopped again to cough. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try us Razer; just try us," Hal wanted to say, but didn't get the chance. Razer fired at them and took off. They scattered to avoid the blast of red energy before giving chase. "Aya, go below him. Kilowag, you and I will flank him, got it?" Hal said as loud as he dared without Razer hearing them. Kilowag and Aya nodded and took their positions; Hal took his too.

"Razer, please stop. We would rather not use force." As Aya spoke, Kilowag and Hal pointed their rings at Razer.

"Then don't."

Razer stopped and changed directions; he flew upwards and turned midair so he was going the way opposite they were. This time, instead of flying straight, Razer zigzagged and went right for the nearby storm clouds. By the time Hal, Kilowag, and Aya closed in on the storm Razer was out of sight and deep into cloud cover.

"Hal Jordan, we should not follow Razer into the storm. It is too dangerous and I am unsure as to how long your constructs can handle the rain."

"No Aya; we're going after him. If we get about the cloud line he can still hide underneath and we could lose him."

"And what if Red's just doing this so we'll follow and then he goes above the clouds?"

Hal paused. "Good point." He smiled and patted Kilowag's shoulder. "Because of that, you and Aya can go above the clouds and search for Razer. I'll go through them."

"Are you nuts Jordan? You heard Aya; our constructs might not last long against the rain."

"Look, we don't have time for this! If Razer went into the clouds then he has to be unaffected by it somehow, and I'm betting if I use a construct I'll be able to catch up with—"

Razer flew out from the cloud cover firing. Hal and Kilowag yelled as they plummeted to the ground; Aya shielded herself from his initial blow, but Razer was on her and struck her with a staff-like construct. She fell to the ground, stunned. After they were taken care of Razer huffed and flew back into the clouds and hurried away.

* * *

Aya recovered first. She stood a little off balance but her sensors recovered quickly and corrected her equilibrium. Hal and Kilowag had hit the ground hard however and were in less favorable condition. When Aya tried prodding them neither of the Green Lanterns did more than groan. "Lanterns Hal Jordan and Kilowag, Razer is escaping and the acidic rain is within a few feet of your bodies. If you do not wake up and move the clouds will eventually move towards you and you will die."

"Aya…"

"Yes Hal Jordan?"

"I see stars."

Dutifully, Aya grabbed Hal's and Kilowag's shoulders and took off into the sky. They still had to go after Razer and she could carry them; it was better than waiting around for her beaten allies to recover. (They did recover, but only after a few minutes of Aya flying around Varardras in search of Razer. And when she couldn't find him and the acid rain was closing in she took shelter in a cave, where Hal and Kilowag would wake up.)

"I'm gonna beat some respect into that little Poozer! Who does he think he is?" Kilowag yelled as he stomped around the cave. It was large and had a small pond of acid rain right outside the entrance. "Had Aya been knocked out of it we coulda died!"

"Kilowag, calm down," Hal said between coughs. "Aya, what are the symptoms of the poisons in this atmosphere again?"

"The symptoms consist of the following: Coughing. Dizziness and blurred vision. Vomiting then followed by muscle weakness, which is soon followed by asphyxiation. Death occurs soon after." There was a pause. "Hal Jordan of Earth, are you having issues with your equilibrium and vision?"

"Thankfully no, but—" He stopped to cough again. "I can hardly stop coughing."

"Hey, wasn't the Poozer coughing too?"

"I guess it's because he came here weakened with the transporter failing with him in it."

"If Razer is suffering the effects of Varardras Atrocitus must be suffering all the same." Aya stood up from the rock she'd been sitting on next to Hal. "In which case the three of you will become increasingly weaker; therefore increasingly easy to capture." She sounded like it was a good thing the three of them were slowly dying.

"But that's also a _bad_ thing, Aya." Kilowag slammed his fist against the wall. "We want to bring Razer in alive; Atrocitus too. If they're already getting affected by the poisons then they could die before we get 'em treated."

"And since we don't know why Razer did this, getting him to come with us won't be any easier."

Aya regretted this already. But it was the rational thing to do; the right thing to do. "I believe I know why Razer assisted Atrocitus with his escape. I believe I also know why Razer picked this planet to come to." Had someone told Hal he won the lottery, or told Kilowag that he had to eat cheese, they still wouldn't have earned such shocked expressions. "I believe he's done this because—"

A large, hulking monster crashed through the entrance of the cave. Acid spewed from its purply green, rotting lips. Hal, Aya, and Kilowag leapt back farther into the cave only to feel a warm, moist breeze on their backs. As Varardras wasn't famous for its pleasant breezes, they slowly turned and were faced with another monster. And another, and another. Then, all at once, they pounced.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Just one chapter left after this! I feel super proud of this and I really, really hope you all like the end!**

* * *

Kilowag tossed the last beast deep into the cave, coughing as he did so. He was pretty banged up, but not as bad as Hal whose right shoulder dislocated during the fight. Hal summoned up a rectangle construct for him to bite into as Aya forced his shoulder back into socket. He let loose a muffled cry; Aya helped him lay back, his head resting on her lap, afterwards.

"What in Oa's name were those things?" Kilowag growled before entering another coughing fit. Because they exerted themselves, nearly draining their rings of all power, they breathed in much more of Varardras' air than they needed to. Their wounds didn't help. Now Kilowag suffered from short but intense coughing fits and felt a little dizzy, but he chalked it up to hitting his head. Hal coughed for up to five minutes straight and could barely stand he was so dizzy. His vision blurred at the edges too, which made it all the more worse.

"Mutants," Aya said matter-of-factly. "Varardras' atmosphere doesn't just kill sentient beings; it transforms them. It's most common in animal-like species but there still remains a possibility for other beings to transform as well."

"You mean some of those things used to be people?!"

"Yes."

"It doesn't matter," Hal muttered, "I don't plan on us to stay here…" He trailed off and coughed again. "We'll get them before that happens." He shut his eyes tightly; even lying down he couldn't shake off his dizziness. "What were you saying before, Aya? About—" More coughing; this time it sounded much, much worse. "—Razer?"

"Never mind that Hal; we've got to get you out of this place."

"I agree with Green Lantern Kilowag. Hal Jordan, you are succumbing to the effects of the poisons faster because of your injuries. We have already been here for 4.7 hours. We have less than eight hours to evacuate the planet before you two suffer from muscle weakness and possibly reach the point of no return, and that's if you both can last the estimated eleven hours." Aya looked outside of the cave. The rain was slowing down; it was a very light drizzle now. "I can construct a shield around us so we may leave now. I cannot say how long it will hold up, but as long as Kilowag has enough energy to fly back to the Interceptor there shouldn't be a problem."

Kilowag nodded. "Don't worry Aya; I've got plenty of juice to fly back to the Interceptor." He walked over and tried to pick up Hal, but he shoved Kilowag's hands away.

"No," he whispered then, louder; "No." Slowly, Hal climbed to his feet. He swayed and had to lean against the wall for balance, and rub his eyes, but was all right. "We are not leaving Razer here. If we do he'll die and I'm not going to stand by and just let that happen." This time Kilowag was put into a coughing fit, although it lasted only thirty seconds, instead of Hal, so Hal continued. "Aya, tell us why Razer came here. We need to know."

Aya stood and stared at them, her face an unreadable mask of green. "Green Lantern Hal Jordan, it's likely you will die if you don't leave. We may barely have time to get to the Interceptor and treat you and Kilowag before the later stages set in. Are you sure about this?" Hal nodded. "And you, Lantern Kilowag? Do you wish to remain as well?"

"Looks like I don't got a choice, now do I?" He wiped slobber from his jaw. "If Hal's stayin', so am I. But we're leaving the second he starts getting' nauseous." Hal smiled and mouthed, "Thanks buddy."

"As you wish." Aya looked down and quietly asked Razer to forgive her for violating his privacy. When she looked up, she went right into it: "Atrocitus killed Razer's wife so that Razer would join the Red Lanterns."

She didn't get any farther before Hal and Kilowag both went, "What?!"

"Yes. Although I was damaged, I could still record and pick up on what Atrocitus was saying."

"Wait, when was this?" Hal asked, suppressing a cough. "Don't tell me this was when Razer went to Shard?"

Aya nodded. "Atrocitus conquered Razer's planet and pitted the warlords against each other. When he saw that Razer could become a truly hateful being he killed Ilana while Razer was out at war; he joined the militia against her wishes so they could live in peace." This part actually pained her to say: "I know this because I entered Razer's memories back at the prison. That was also when I picked my form; I mimicked Ilana's appearance, as I used the last body imprinted into my database." She waited, seeing if Hal or Kilowag had anything to say, but they didn't. "Razer tried killing Atrocitus, and would have, but we had to leave. I am one hundred percent positive he's taken Atrocitus here to exact his revenge."

"Wow…" was all Hal could say. Kilowag however could empathize. He felt both sympathy and rage.

"That filthy piece of slime," he snarled, "I don't blame Red for takin' Atrocitus here; I would've done the same thing!" He thought about his family he lost. He couldn't blame Razer for becoming a Red. Kilowag had been angry, too, but used his work to help distract himself from the pain. What if Razer didn't have that? It could've driven anybody to hate and rage. "When I get my hands on Atrocitus, I'll—"

"You'll do nothing. We are not to kill Atrocitus, but to bring him back to serve out his sentence."

"I'm not treating a _monster_ like they have a right to live."

"Hold on a second. Who said we're killing him?" He punched the palm of his left hand. "But we aren't treating him nicely."

"Now that it has been decided, we best leave now. There may be more of those creatures nearby and we can't waste any more time if we are to find Razer and Atrocitus within a timely manner. Please step closer so I can construct a shield around us so we may fly through the acid rain."

"Got it Aya," said Kilowag as he helped Hal walk closer to her. She constructed a large green energy shield and took flight, quickly followed by Kilowag. Hal flew but let Kilowag take control of steering him, as he wasn't steady enough. Together they flew out of the acid rain and in the direction they hoped to find Razer.

* * *

Razer crash landed by some rocks since he'd been so dizzy from flying and avoiding the creatures that chased him for the past half hour. He rolled onto his hands and knees and barfed. The onset of nausea was sudden and incredibly unpleasant. Razer vomited two more times before wiping his mouth and standing. "Why did I let him get away?"

"Perhaps you overestimated yourself."

Razer whirled around and fired a badly aimed shot. He missed Atrocitus by several feet.

"What's wrong Razer, feeling a little ill?"

"You are too."

Atrocitus tried waving off the fact that he could barely stand up straight. "You should've known better than to come here of all places. I can, and will, outlast you."

"It doesn't matter if I die here. You're an intergalactic criminal. I doubt you'll find many people willing to help you before you die." Razer took a deep breath. Looking at Atrocitus, seeing his smug smirk, it made him sick. Memories of Ilana resurfaced causing a red aura of hate to surround him. "All that matters to me is that _you_ die. Whether it's by my hand or because of Varardras, it doesn't matter."

Atrocitus coughed, but his coughs slowly turned into laughter. "Then kill me Razer; I'd like to see you try."

This was it; Razer gathered up every ounce of hate he had left in him. The aura moved wildly around him, lashing out at nearby air. He blinked, and when he opened his eyes they were orbs of flaming red. Razer let out an inhuman scream and flew at Atrocitus, who too was surrounded by red aura, but his was less intense than Razer's all-consuming one.

When Razer reached him they locked hands, fighting for control over the other. When Atrocitus pushed Razer back a bit, Razer reared back his head and slammed his forehead against Atrocitus'. Atrocitus stumbled and weakened long enough for Razer to shove him against the ground. He pulled back his right hand, his ring the only visible thing out of the fire consuming his limb, and punched Atrocitus. He punched him again, harder. And again, and again, and again.

"_I came back for you… I came back for you!"_

Razer reared back his fist one more time, but stopped to spit in Atrocitus' eye. Then Atrocitus lifted his hand so that his ring was pressed against Razer's chest. Unable to think, unable to act, Razer did nothing as he was thrown back. His battery came off his hip, ripped away with such ease by Atrocitus, and he slammed into a rock. Atrocitus laughed maniacally, the hinges holding his mind together coming undone, not like Razer could hear. All he could hear was the Red Lantern oath ringing mockingly in his ears.

"_With blood and rage of crimson red_

_We fill men's souls with darkest dread_

_And twist your minds to pain and hate_

_We'll burn you all—that is your fate!"_

With a flash of red, Atrocitus was fully powered. He could leave; he didn't need to wait around any longer. But he still had one loose end to tie up. Razer.

"If only you were a good son. I would've made you great." He sneered and stared down at Razer, who was still blazing full of red energy. But, because of a mental battle, he couldn't move. "Say goodbye."

Atrocitus pointed his ring at Razer, ready for the kill shot. Razer could only think _I don't need hate._

_I don't need hate. Ilana wouldn't want me to need hate. Neither would Aya, or… Or even Hal or Kilowag. They came back for me. They __**saved**__ me. But I still have some hate—rage—left. I might as well use it._

* * *

Hal, Kilowag, and Aya saw nothing to indicate that either Razer or Atrocitus was nearby. Then they heard the wretched scream and caught sight of the brilliant red lightshow coming from their right. "Is that…?"

"Who cares!" Kilowag shouted, interrupting Hal. "We're checking out whatever it is, so let's go."

"Affirmative. And, Hal Jordan, my guess from the level of power coming from that general area is that both Razer and Atrocitus are there."

"Thanks Aya," Hal said and broke away from Kilowag. "Thanks for the lift buddy, but I can handle it for now."

"Ya sure?"

"Yeah. Anyways, you're getting a little off balance too Kilowag. If one of us crash lands we don't need to bring the other down."

"Don't remind me," Kilowag grumbled.

* * *

Razer lifted a rock twice the size, and ten times as heavy, of him. He threw it at Atrocitus without so much as breaking a sweat. With equal effort, Atrocitus blasted it to smithereens and flew through the debris, breathing fiery hot red energy. Razer flew right into it, his red aura acting as extra armor, and constructed a dual headed spear. He tried taking Atrocitus' head off with it, but Atrocitus grabbed the spear and flung Razer high into the atmosphere. He flew after Razer, red construct brass knuckles taking form over his closed fists.

Punch for punch, kick for kick, blow for blow. That's how their fight went; they were practically equally matched with how they were going. Then Atrocitus flew at Razer again after they separated for the umpteenth time; this time he was careless. Razer saw an opening and took it; he feinted right but went left and delivered a devastating punch to Atrocitus' exposed ribs. The blow caused Atrocitus to exhale all air in his lungs, and then some, and plummet to the ground. Razer landed softly next to him, his red glow never fading.

"Kill me," Atrocitus wheezed, "do it now."

"You destroyed my planet and killed Ilana, the first person I ever loved and the _only_ one I ever loved like that. You put me on a path of hate, rage, and self-destruction. I destroyed a planet because of my blind loyalty to you." He looked at his ring, which flickered as the battery reached its lowest levels before his power dissipated. Then he looked to Atrocitus. "I am not your pet. I am nothing like you." His red aura, his armor, and his ring disappeared. "I'm not hateful. I'm not holding on to old anger. I… I'm moving on. Ilana would want that. And I want it too! Do you hear me? I don't need your pathetic ring to keep me going. All I need is my will to keep living and there is nothing, NOTHING you, you or anyone else will EVER do to change that. Don't forget."

"Trust me: We're never forgetting this or your memorable speech." Razer sighed and turned to look at Kilowag, Aya, and Hal. Hal landed, stumbled, then caught his balance and stepped forward. "Razer… Aya told us." That explained their sympathetic looks. "We're so, so sorry."

"Yeah Poozer." Kilowag's ears drooped. "I know what it's like, losin' a loved one. I can see why you did it. Becoming a Red, that is."

"Razer, please forgive me if I have violated your privacy," Aya said, stepping next to him. "The circumstances called for it."

"Don't apologize. I… I owe—" Razer was about to say "I owe you one; I owe you all one," and smile, genuinely smile since he'd lost Ilana, but he fell to his knees and barfed again. This prompted Hal to vomit, which nearly made Kilowag vomit and successfully made him and Aya grab their two sick friends and rush them to the Interceptor (Even Atrocitus, though he was in chains!) before asphyxiation settled in.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Final chapter! Thank you to those who have read this.**

**Also, embarrassingly enough, I realize I've been misspelling Kilowog's name since forever. So now I'm spelling it correctly as Kilowog.**

* * *

_Three Earth weeks later…_

"Is that your plea? Guilty?"

"Yes."

This was Razer's trial. The Guardians looked on at him disapprovingly—mostly Appa. Sayd had the softest expression out of the blue midgets. Hal, Aya, and Kilowog stood behind Razer, backing him all the way.

"So you helped him escape so you could fulfill some sort of revenge?" Appa scoffed and shook his head. "This is a very serious crime. You could be sentenced to imprisonment for just as long as Atrocitus for your treachery."

"Guardian Appa, if I may?" Appa looked to Aya and nodded, gesturing for her to go on. "Although Razer's actions weren't legal, he has done much good for the sake of the Green Lanterns. And none of this would have happened had you all taken responsibility for the destruction of The Forgotten Zone. Had you, Razer's planet might not have been conquered by Atrocitus and his wife would still be alive, which—"

"It doesn't make his actions any less of a crime," Sayd interrupted. "Some sort of action must be taken."

"I accept whatever punishment you see fit." Razer's shoulders slumped. He was tired; it took them a while to recover from Varardras' poisonous atmosphere, and this ordeal was something he wanted to be over with. There was one good thing—Razer had never felt more… more content. Relieved. Even a little bit happy.

"Razer," Hal whispered, "I know you want to take punishment, but you know… You can fight a little."

"I did it, Hal. I could've set Atrocitus free to gather more Red Lanterns; to build another army."

"But you didn't." Kilowog stepped next to Razer and hit his back, flashing the kid a brief smile. Then Kilowog turned his gaze to the Guardians. "Razer might've started this mess, but he ended it. Heck, had you heard him back there when his ring left him… You coulda said he was talking like a real GL."

"About that: What exactly happened to your ring?" one of the other Guardians asked.

"It disappeared," Razer stated.

"What did you do to make that happen?"

"I let go. I stopped relying on my anger and hate and… I just used all of it up when fighting Atrocitus."

"You think we'll believe you simply 'used up' your anger?" Appa asked incredulously. "I doubt that's possible." Now Razer took on his signature look of annoyance.

"While I was on Varardras I kept thinking that I didn't need it. I didn't need all this anger; that… that Ilana would want me to have moved on. She wouldn't have wanted me to live so hatefully. Neither would my friends." Hal grinned and joined Razer and Kilowog in the front. Aya slipped between Hal and Razer, so she could be closer to him. "I simply held onto some of the anger before letting it all go. That is all."

Appa huffed. "Then this meeting is over. Razer, we will call upon you when we decide on your punishment."

"I await it with bated breath," Razer muttered, earning a laugh from the guys.

"You are dis—" Sayd started, but stopped as the overhead dome opened and a ring came flying inside. She sighed. "To think, a ring just went out three weeks ago." Practically everyone lowered their heads at the thought of another dead Lantern. "Salaak, can you tell us whose it is?"

"I don't think the ring's come back to Oa for that, Guardians," Salaak said softly. At first, everyone was confused. Then they looked at the glowing green ring, which was floating right in front of a bewildered Razer. "The ring that left Oa left while they were all on Varardras. I think we can safely assume why, now."

"You mean… me?" Razer could barely believe it. Hal whooped loudly, causing him and everyone else to jump.

"What are you waiting for Razer? Put the ring on!" Hal turned to the Guardians. "It seems that the ring thought Razer's actions on Varardras were pretty Green Lantern-like too."

"Guess I can't call you Red anymore, huh Poozer?" Kilowog punched Razer's arm, and Razer just stared at him.

"Razer?" This time, it was Aya. "Are you well? Everyone is waiting for you to put the ring on. You're its new bearer."

"But why _me_?" Razer narrowed his eyes. "It doesn't make sense."

"It is as Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and Kilowog have said," Sayd mused. "When you didn't kill Atrocitus and let go of your hate, you showed an immense amount of will and dedication to those close to you. You have deserved the ring, as well as a pardon. Do the other Guardians agree?" The others murmured their agreements, some a little more hesitant than others (mostly Appa), and Razer smiled. Really, really smiled.

_Ilana, thank you._

Razer extended his right hand and the ring slid onto his finger. In an eruption of green light, his look completely changed. The suit that clung closest to his body was as black as his Red Lantern outfit ever was. But now, as he looked down, he didn't see the Red, he didn't see hate, he saw green armor covering his torso and a large Green Lantern sigil covering his chest. His hands and feet, he saw, were clad in green armor. His outfit was similar to his Red Lantern outfit, but now, where he used to have a furious red helmet with horns that made him immediately menacing, he had a black cover with a green ring circling it, almost like a crown of sorts. His ears, too, were green. It seemed fitting: An outfit tailored to Razer, not to his rage.

At first, because he was unused to change, Razer was uncomfortable. But then it felt normal, comfortable even, and Hal was on him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and rattling on and on about what torture he'd go through as Kilowog's student as a new Green Lantern, and there was nothing he could do but go with the flow and smile.

"Anyways," Hal said about ten minutes into his one-sided conversation, "how do you feel?"

"What?"

"He means how do you feel being a Green Lantern now," Kilowog said. "Different from being a Red, huh?"

"It's different," Razer admitted. "But… I think I could grow to _tolerate_ it."

That sent everyone into a round of laughter and they kept talking. Not as crewmates or just fellow Lanterns, but as friends.

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**A/N: Agh! It was hard trying to describe Razer's GL uniform. ;_; My first description came out confusing and bad. The one you see now is a million times better because of my friend Ruth, aka PickleBrandenbourghj. She's awesome. ALSO, I'm posting up a collab fic we're doing together soon.**

**Originally, I planned on having a bit of a less happy ending but this came out. But I like this; I like Razer being a GL. If he just let go of all of that hate…**

**Anyways, thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed.**

**BTW; Would anyone like to see an alternate ending? You know, a not happy one. If so, I'll gladly do it. It's up to you all!  
**


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